"Where do I start? Whom do I contact? What is the best solution for Mom's or Dad's problem?"

Some of us have been there and asked those questions, or we may find ourselves in that situation in the future.

We want to take care of Mom or Dad, but it is not an easy task -- especially if we are working full time and raising our own family. But eldercare issues do not wait for convenience of time or place. For example:

Sherry stopped by her mom's house every day after work. Her father had passed away last year and he had been the caregiver of Alice, Sherry's mom. Now it was up to Sherry to fill the caregiver role. Alice suffered from mild dementia. She could still function on her own, but was showing more signs of forgetfulness and confusion. Sherry would find her morning medication still on the cupboard in the evening and wasn't sure Alice had eaten during the day. Sherry couldn't quit her job to take care of her mom, as she was a single mother supporting her own family. Sherry had a lot of questions. What type of help was available to her? Are there resources in the community? Who would she contact to find out about home care or assisted living? Should she get legal power of attorney and when is the right time to do it? What about selling mom's home if mom goes to assisted living? How will that affect Medicaid eligibility?

Answers for Sherry were as close as her computer. Doing a Google search for “Long Term Care Planning” and “Care Planning Help” brought her to the National Care Planning Council's website www.longtermcarelink.net . Here she found articles on understanding and planning for long term care and internet links to state and national resources. The National Care Planning Council also provides a listing of eldercare services in her area and contact information for the professionals who provide them.

What is the National Care Planning Council?

The National Care Planning Council and its website “Long Term Care Link” is a comprehensive resource for long term care planning.

The Council Promotes and Supports Planning For Long Term Care!

It promotes a public awareness of the need for long term care planning

It provides materials to educate the public on how to plan for long term care

It provides training to member eldercare experts who help the public plan for long term care

It promotes the services and expertise of its members

It provides a forum for members to share ideas and marketing strategies

With ever-growing numbers of people across the nation -- like Sherry -- who are looking for help and resources for caregiving, the National Care Planning Council is ready to provide contact information for service providers in all types of care service areas.

Membership in the Council is only $8.00 a month and members can quit at any time. There is no contractual requirement to maintain membership. Membership includes the following:

1. One or more listings out of 25 different service categories on the website at www.longtermcareLink.net. Listings work like a yellow page ad where members are placed in plain sight by their category under their state and by their geographic location. A link on this listing goes directly to an appealingly-designed personal sales web page. Here is an example of one of these sales pages: CLICK HERE

Anything can go on this page including pictures, sales messages, testimonials, contact information and website links! There is also a form the public can fill out and email a request to a member. Many members make their sales page into personal websites by purchasing their own domain name and forwarding the domain to their sales page. A member of the staff can explain how to do this at no additional charge. A personal domain costs approximately $10 per year from godaddy.com.

Comparable sites go for upwards of $500, but with the National Care Planning Council, a personal web page is a mere one-time fee of $30.00 including ongoing changes or corrections. Imagine a complete website for only a one-time $30.00 set up and $8.00 a month. An enhanced website version is also available for only a $60.00 one-time setup fee. Here is an example of an enhanced website sales page: CLICK HERE

2. Ghostwritten articles that members can use as their own and edit and share with others.

3. Free templates for brochures and booklets

4. Discounts on books and sales systems from the Council

5. Use of the Council logo and identifying oneself as a member of the National Care Planning Council